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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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4.0 out of 5 stars
Well researched reference on "mystery cats"... Shuker melds cryptozology and zoology,
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This review is from: Mystery Cats of the World: From Blue Tigers to Exmoor Beasts (Hardcover)
Cryptozoology is defined by author Karl Shuker as "the scientific investigation of animals still awaiting formal discovery or identification" (p. 11). That is a theme to this book, Mystery Cats of the World: From Blue Tigers to Exmoor Beasts. But Shuker goes beyond what hasn't been discovered when it comes to this treatise on mystery cats; he combines it with what is know about real cats that may appear in very unexpected places. In fact, the New York Times just had an article on a cougar that traveled east 1,500 miles, with tests indicating that the animal found in Connecticut made its way east from the Black Hills of South Dakota.
There is a paucity of physical evidence for the existence of cryptozootic creatures. Legend, narratives, grainy photos, obscured spoor; this is the evidence that Shuker must sort through. Now it is one thing discussing the Loch Ness Monster, but it is quite something else to discuss mystery cats. You see, wild cats of a variety of shapes, sizes, and behaviors are obviously real, and reality also includes people moving animals, legally or illegally, all over the planet. I first got interested in mystery cats with the pronouncement of a "mystery cat" on Maui, one of the Hawaiian Islands. My investigation concluded that there was never a mystery cat at all, and that every piece of "evidence" could be easily explained with the various species present (dogs and cats) and misidentification and confirmation bias affecting the investigation. Indeed, when the sightings of the mystery cat ended, the director of the Department of Land and Natural Resources gave every potential explanation for the disappearance except for one... that the animal didn't exist in the first place. Now, Shuker has no qualms mentioning alternative explanations for the various mystery cats, black panthers, and other cat-like creatures seen throughout the world. But he argues that "After having eliminated the impossible relative to mystery cats - viz. that ALL reports of ALL such creatures result from dimly viewed dogs, manic mendacity, drunken delusion or mass hallucination - we are left with an initially improbable but ultimately inevitable conclusion: namely, that mystery cats of wide diversity and worldwide distribution do indeed exist" (p. 233). Shuker is cautious: "...it is certainly true that large creatures can be 'created' out of smaller ones via optical trickery if seen at a distance and/or in poor lighting conditions. Consequently it is by no means unlikely that some British mystery cats may indeed be nothing more than poorly spied feral domestics. Coupled with this is the frequent occurrence in mystery cat episodes (in Britain and abroad) of such excitement and interest (not to mention apprehension) that after a time almost ANY animal seen is automatically 'identified' as the mystery cat concerned" (p. 53). This is an excellent reference for any cryptozoologist. Shuker is detail oriented, and very good at documenting the source of his information. If you can find a copy of this rare book, and you are interested in mystery cats, it will be a desirable addition to your library.
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